Resident Evil - Code: Veronica X HD Review

Written by Cole Burton Tuesday, 04 October 2011 11:00

Resident Evil is way up there on my favorite series list, but now I must make a confession: I never beat Code Veronica X.  While I have multiple playthroughs on every other RE title, this one pinned me down with a very frustrating situation pretty deep in the game.  I have been long waiting for a reason to start this game back up, and it has arrived.  But newcomers beware: this title is not for the faint of heart.

Code: Veronica X is easily the hardest RE game to date.  Supplies such as ammo and first aid can be scarce, and if wasted, you may as well revert back to your last save.  Oh, and yes, the classic RE typewriters are here, meaning you must use ink ribbons to save your progress.  There are also some tough regular enemies to take down without being damaged and heavy waves of “weak” enemies can force you to take damage, or waste ammo.

The story takes place 3 months after Resident Evil 2.  After surviving the horrific ordeal at Raccoon City with Leon, Claire heads off in search of her brother, Chris.  Unfortunately for her, she is captured and imprisoned by Umbrella operatives.  This is how she arrives to her new nightmare: Rockford Island.

Some new characters appear, as well as some familiar faces.  There are some good puzzles to solve, and some really scary moments, i.e., you almost throw your controller through your huge TV out of frustration.  But hey, if we can move on from the difficulty, there is little to complain about.

As far as the HD part goes, we all expected more from Resident Evil 4 a week ago.  But, after seeing that, it wouldn’t take much for CVX to impress us.  And, given that it’s nearly 12 years old, it looks great.  The character models have improved and the cutscenes look pretty good, although some of gameplay environment looks much worse.  But again, this is essentially a 12-year old upscaling, not a remastered version.

Difficulty aside, Code: Veronica X is a great game.  Although there is plenty of backtracking and managing your items can get annoying, the plot is great and the classic gameplay is enjoyable.  If Resident Evil 4 and 5 is where your love lies, this may not be your game.  But, I do encourage you to give it a shot.  Of course, if you get stuck and don’t feel like starting over or reloading old saves, $19.99 or 1600 MSP may be a little steep.